‘Glock switch’ ban: Bill targets kits that convert firearms into machine guns
Noon CT – Judiciary – Watch – SB0957 by Sen. London Lamar
- Leaders in the city of Memphis have long asked for state legislation to crack down on machine gun conversion devices, more commonly known as “switches.”
- Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis) is hoping to deliver this year with a state ban on “Glock switches” and machine gun conversion kits. These devices allow semi-automatic firearms to function as an illegal, fully automatic weapon.
- ALABAMA: The Alabama Senate voted 28-0 in February to advance a ban on Glock switches and other conversion kits that make semi-automatic guns fire like fully automatic machine guns.
GOP bill shielding gun owners opens police to criminal charges, lawsuits
Noon CT – Judiciary – Watch – SB 0819 *Roberts
- Senate Bill 819 exposes law enforcement officers to significant legal, financial and professional risks when they interact with armed individuals—especially in gray areas where constitutional rights and public safety intersect.
- Under the bill, government workers, including police officers, could be held personally liable for damages, attorney’s fees and even punitive damages if someone claims the officer infringed on their Second Amendment rights. But the law does not define what “infringement” looks like.
- This ambiguity could chill proactive policing and put officers in a no-win situation: protect themselves and the public, or risk lawsuits, criminal charges, and job loss.
Bill seeks to improve sidewalk access near public schools
3 p.m. - Senate Regular Calendar - Watch - SB0141 by Sen. Sara Kyle
- The state Transportation Department would establish a grant program to improve sidewalks around public schools under Senate Bill 141.
- Tennessee has one of the highest pedestrian fatality rates in the nation, according to a recent report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Anti-Diversity Mandate: GOP bill repeals minority membership goals for state boards
3 p.m. - Senate Regular Calendar - Watch - SB1235 by Rose
- Senate Bill 1235 would prohibit state regulatory boards, including health-related ones, from considering race, ethnicity, or national origin when determining board members.
- Additionally, this legislation removes provisions from state law that encourage racial minority representation on boards and commissions.
- These efforts will almost certainly lead to less representation for Black Tennesseans on boards making statewide decisions about health, economic development and consumer protections.
Bill gives GOP speakers more influence over college, university boards
3 p.m. - Senate Regular Calendar - Watch - SB0933 by Rose.
- The General Assembly’s controlling Republican Party wants power and influence over everything.
- Senate Bill 933 would increase the size of the Board of Regents, the university governing boards and the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees by two members each and then designate each speaker as the appointing authority for two appointments to every board.
Noon CT - Judiciary
For today, the committee is only hearing bills by members of the committee.
73. SB 0043 *Lamar (HB 0814 by *Miller)
Firearms and Ammunition- As introduced, authorizes a county legislative body to elect not to permit persons within the county to lawfully carry a handgun without a handgun carry permit by passage of a resolution; requires a county that has passed such a resolution to provide notice to persons present within the county by posting notice of the resolution in conspicuous public locations throughout the county. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.
76. SB 0957 *Lamar (HB 1082 by *Camper)
Firearms and Ammunition- As introduced, prohibits the possession, manufacture, transport, repair, or sale of a switch or auto sear device designed, made, or adapted for the purpose of converting a weapon to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger unless certain exceptions apply. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.
Glock switch ban
77. SB 1253 *Lamar (HB 1098 by *Towns)
Firearms and Ammunition- As introduced, creates the offense of carrying or possessing a firearm, including a firearm that was privately assembled and does not contain a serial number or other mark that conforms with federal law, if, at the time of carrying or possessing, the person is not a citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13 and Title 55, Chapter 50.
Ban on ghost guns
78. SB 0572 *Kyle (HB 0982 by *Miller)
Courts, General Sessions- As introduced, increases from $25,000 to $50,000 the jurisdictional dollar limit for general sessions courts in civil cases generally. - Amends TCA Title 13; Title 16 and Title 29.
79. SB 1183 *Kyle (HB 0949 by *Brooks, Johnson, Hardaway, Dixie, Freeman, Clemmons, Miller, Glynn, Powell)
Firearms and Ammunition- As introduced, creates a criminal offense of storing or keeping a firearm in any place if the firearm is not secured in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device that is properly engaged so as to render the firearm inoperable by any person other than the owner or another lawfully authorized user; punishes a violation of the offense as a Class A misdemeanor. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.
80. SB 1325 *Kyle (HB 1261 by *Jones J)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, makes it an offense for farmers to keep breeding pigs and veal calves in certain small enclosures, subject to certain exceptions, effective July 1, 2030. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 14; Title 40, Chapter 39; Title 43; Title 44 and Title 53.
81. SB 0846 *Harshbarger (HB 1268 by *Scarbrough)
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation- As introduced, requires the annual written report submitted to the committee of the house of representatives with jurisdiction over criminal justice matters and the judiciary committee of the senate regarding activities of narcotics investigations by the bureau and the assistant director of the narcotics investigation division be submitted by February 15 of each year. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 10; Title 16; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41 and Title 55.
Caption. Need more info.
82. SB 1123 *Harshbarger (HB 0696 by *Gillespie)
Sexual Offenses- As introduced, establishes a sexual assault response team coordinator for the purpose of providing statewide training, support, and technical assistance to and oversight of sexual assault response teams. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8 and Title 38.
83. SB 0236 *Taylor (HB 0305 by *Gillespie)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, requires a law enforcement agency to release calls for emergency assistance services at rental homes and apartment complexes to qualified nonprofit organizations for the purpose of distributing the calls to rental property managers and owners to detect and act on escalating crime patterns. - Amends TCA Title 38.
Off notice
84. SB 0389 *Taylor (HB 0184 by *Hardaway, Lamberth, Doggett)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, creates a Class C felony of reckless endangerment involving community terrorism, which is committed against a population within a geographic territory by members of a criminal gang or within 1,000 feet of a school or park; requires the sentencing court to revoke or prohibit the issuance of a driver license to individuals convicted of such offense for a five-year period following conviction. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13 and Title 40, Chapter 35.
Off notice
85. SB 0673 *Taylor (HB 0661 by *White, Littleton)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, enacts the "Comprehensive Assault Crime Intervention Act." - Amends TCA Title 38; Title 39 and Title 40.
Need info
86. SB 0533 *Stevens (HB 0351 by *Hurt)
Jails, Local Loc-ups - As introduced, requires a prisoner who is released from a county workhouse or jail for paid employment to pay the costs of the required electronic monitoring device. - Amends TCA Title 41.
Shifts the cost of GPS monitoring from the business employing incarcerated labor to the incarcerated person…
87. SB 0655 *Stevens (HB 1010 by *Moody)
District Attorneys- As introduced, authorizes a district attorney general, on the consent of the district attorney general of any other judicial district, to specially appoint another district attorney general, or an assistant to that district attorney general, to conduct specific proceedings under title 8, chapter 47, regarding removal of officers, which the district attorney general is authorized by law to conduct in that district. - Amends TCA Title 8.
88. SB 0862 *Stevens (HB 1266 by *Scarbrough)
Criminal Offenses- caption
Watch.
89. SB 0892 *Stevens (HB 1287 by *Hill)
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation- As introduced, increases, from 15 to 20, the number of background investigations that the speaker of the senate and speaker of the house of representatives may request a year for persons under consideration for appointment to a position of trust and responsibility. - Amends TCA Title 38; Title 39 and Title 67.
Off notice
90. SB 1026 *White (HB 1114 by *Sparks)
Children and Youth, Commission on- As introduced, changes from September 1 to October 1 the date by which the commission must make budget recommendations for the following fiscal year to the governor, finance committees of the house and senate, legislative budget offices, and affected state departments. - Amends TCA Title 16; Title 33; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41 and Title 49.
Off notice
91. SB 0600 *Rose, Haile (HB 0575 by *Doggett)
Criminal Procedure- As introduced, specifies that the administrative office of the courts may distribute to the courts electronically the discharge from conditions of release form that is required to be sent to law enforcement agencies by the court when a defendant upon whom conditions of release have been imposed is discharged or released from those conditions. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 9; Title 16; Title 18; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 55; Title 56; Title 62; Title 68 and Title 71.
Related to GPS monitoring.
92. SB 0601 *Rose, Haile (HB 0580 by *Doggett)
Bail, Bail Bonds- As introduced, makes various changes regarding global positioning monitoring and the pretrial release of certain defendants. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 55, Chapter 10.
Related to GPS monitoring.
93. SB 0932 *Rose, Hatcher (HB 0787 by *Moody)
DUI Offenses- As introduced, requires the impaired driving advisory council of the Tennessee highway safety office to submit to the general assembly all reports, strategic plans, or recommendations to reduce impaired driving in this state by November 1 of each year, rather than December 1. - Amends TCA Title 16; Title 39; Title 40 and Title 55.
94. SB 0300 *Roberts (HB 0371 by *Scarbrough)
Sentencing- As introduced, requires a person convicted of a Class A or Class B misdemeanor in general sessions court to pay for and complete a cognitive behavioral training course; requires the offender to provide proof of course completion to the court or the court’s designee within the time period specified by the court. - Amends TCA Section 40-35-302.
Looks like a mandate for a testing company to get paid by a vulnerable population
95. SB 0819 *Roberts (HB 0554 by *Capley, Powers, Todd)
Remedies and Special Proceedings- As introduced, creates a civil action against any person or government entity that infringes upon a person's right to bear arms under the Tennessee or United States Constitutions; requires the person or entity to be liable for actual or statutory damages, punitive damages, attorney's fees, and court costs. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 54.
This bill opens a giant can of worms for police interacting with persons who are carrying a firearm.
96. SB 1055 *Roberts (HB 1257 by *Doggett)
Expunction- As introduced, specifies that a petition for expunction form be made available to the public on the website of the administrative office of the courts. - Amends TCA Title 7; Title 16; Title 38; Title 40; Title 55 and Title 57.
97. SB 1396 *Roberts, McNally, Haile (HB 1233 by *Gillespie)
Bail, Bail Bonds- As introduced, permits a professional bondsman to issue and retain the required receipt for money or other consideration received in a digital format. - Amends TCA Title 40, Chapter 11.
Creates a loophole for some corporations to open a bail bonding company without state-required qualifications
98. SB 1400 *Roberts (HB 1204 by *Kumar)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, states that a law enforcement officer may assist a qualified practitioner in using reasonable force to obtain a sample of blood from a person suspected of driving while under the influence of an intoxicant; increases the amount of time a driver license must be revoked for an implied consent violation from one year to one year and six months if the person has no prior violations. - Amends TCA Title 39 and Title 55.
99. SB 0255 *Gardenhire (HB 0490 by *Helton-Haynes)
Courts- As introduced, authorizes the administrative office of the courts to submit its annual report in an electronic format to the attorney general and reporter and the appropriate legislative committees. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 16; Title 17; Title 18; Title 20; Title 21; Title 24; Title 25; Title 26; Title 27; Title 28 and Title 29.
100. SB 0407 *Gardenhire, Yager (HB 0445 by *Hulsey, Russell, Barrett, Hardaway)
Criminal Procedure- As introduced, revises the procedure for restoration of rights of citizenship. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 4; Title 22; Title 36; Title 39 and Title 40.
A small but needed improvement in the voter rights restoration process
101. SB 0418 *Gardenhire (HB 0004 by *Bulso)
Tort Liability and Reform- As introduced, increases the amount that a person may recover in an action brought against a local governmental entity under the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act for claims brought on or after July 1, 2025, to $750,000 for the bodily injury or death of a person, $1.5 million for the bodily injury or death of all persons in an accident, occurrence, or act, and $250,000 for the injury or destruction of property of others. - Amends TCA Title 29.
102. SB 0445 *Gardenhire (HB 0486 by *Farmer)
Public Defenders- As introduced, changes from 10 days to 10 business days the amount of written notice that must be given to members of the district public defenders conference for meetings called at the will of the president of the conference. - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 14 and Title 9, Chapter 4.
103. SB 0464 *Gardenhire, Haile (HB 0528 by *Doggett)
Bail, Bail Bonds- As introduced, requires professional bondsmen and agents of insurance companies making appearance bonds in criminal cases to assess a premium fee of no less than 5 percent nor more than 10 percent of the amount of the face value of the bond. - Amends TCA Title 40.
104. SB 0465 *Gardenhire (HB 0464 by *Helton-Haynes)
Drugs, Synthetic or Analogue- As introduced, removes the limitation that a person who is experiencing a drug overdose only has immunity from being arrested, charged, or prosecuted on the first drug overdose. - Amends TCA Title 50; Title 53; Title 63 and Title 68.
Off notice
105. SB 0595 *Gardenhire (HB 0650 by *Parkinson)
Bail, Bail Bonds- As introduced, requires a sheriff to accept the surrender of a criminal defendant on pretrial release by a bail bondsman or surety for good cause, pending a hearing by a court with jurisdiction to admit to bail to determine whether there is good cause for the surrender. - Amends TCA Title 40, Chapter 11.
106. SB 1133 *Gardenhire, Haile (HB 1256 by *Doggett, Sexton)
Criminal Offenses- As introduced, changes the time within which a warden or chief administrative officer employed by a penal institution must report the commission of certain offenses that occurred within the penal institution to the district attorney general for the judicial district in which the penal institution is located and the district attorney general who prosecuted the offense for which the offender is incarcerated from within five business days to within three business days of becoming aware of the offense being committed. - Amends TCA Title 8; Title 10; Title 33; Title 36; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41; Title 49; Title 50; Title 55 and Title 70.
107. SB 0256 *Gardenhire (HB 0601 by *Freeman)
Appeal and Review- As introduced, establishes a procedure through which a district attorney general or person convicted of a criminal offense may, at any time, request post-conviction relief by filing a verified petition alleging actual innocence based on new evidence that was not known by the judge or jury at the time of conviction, including scientific and non-scientific evidence. - Amends TCA Title 40.
3 p.m. Senate Floor Calendar
1. SB0141 by Kyle. (*HB0016 by Clemmons.)
Traffic Safety - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 49; Title 54 and Title 55. As introduced, requires the department of transportation to establish and administer a student pedestrian protection grant program; under certain conditions, authorizes grants to be awarded to local governments for designing, constructing, and repairing sidewalk infrastructure around public schools.
2. SB0160 by Hensley. (*HB0083 by Moon.)
Local Government, General - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 61. As introduced, requires a municipality that does not provide ambulance service to reimburse the county for such service in proportion to the municipality's population to the population of the county, up to 50 percent of the total cost of providing the service.
Amended to TACIR study…
3. SB 0299 *Haile (HB 0830 by *Terry)
Boards and Commissions- As introduced, changes the qualifications for membership on the medical cannabis commission to include a patient caregiver and a subject matter expert with knowledge of how cannabis is cultivated, processed, shipped, distributed, or prescribed for medical use; specifies that the recommendations made by the commission to the general assembly may include policy recommendations. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 68, Chapter 7.
4. SB 0332 *Crowe (HB 0203 by *Terry)
Health Care- With amendment, requires the Board of Nursing to develop a survey to collect information from nurse practitioners who have been issued a certificate of fitness concerning their specialty and information on their collaborating physicians and to send the survey to each nurse practitioner who has been issued a certificate of fitness. Establishes that the Board must require each nurse practitioner to complete the survey prior to, and as a precondition of, renewal of the nurse practitioner's licensure registration.
Feels heavy handed to compel participation in the survey
5. SB0365 by Briggs. (*HB0317 by Rudd.)
Zoning - Amends TCA Title 13, Chapter 7. As introduced, makes certain changes to the powers and duties of county and municipal boards of zoning appeals.
6. SB 0436 *Reeves (HB 1198 by *Kumar)
Drugs, Prescription- As introduced, adds mandating the use of biosimilar drugs as a cost-saving measure the bureau of TennCare may implement; adds that a health carrier, health benefit plan, or utilization review organization may require a patient to try a biosimilar product prior to providing coverage for the equivalent branded prescription drug; requires the TennCare pharmacy advisory committee to consider as a factor the use of biosimilar drugs in the committee's recommendation to the bureau of TennCare on any drugs to be added to the state preferred drug list. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 53; Title 56; Title 68 and Title 71.
7. SB 0444 *Jackson (HB 0501 by *Littleton, Alexander, Hardaway, Russell, Sparks, Stinnett, Davis, Glynn, Eldridge)
Children and Youth, Commission on- As introduced, creates the Tennessee juvenile justice review commission to review an appropriate sampling of juvenile justice cases and any critical incidents involving juveniles in order to provide the general assembly with findings and legislative recommendations. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 37.
8. SB 0484 *Bowling (HB 0130 by *Reneau)
Food and Food Products- As introduced, authorizes the sale of homemade food items that contain dairy, meat, or poultry to the extent permitted by federal law. - Amends TCA Title 53 and Title 68, Chapter 14, Part 7.
9. SB0519 by Roberts. (*HB0219 by Reedy.)
Real Property - Amends TCA Title 66, Chapter 2, Part 3. As introduced, requires foreign persons who purchase land in this state and who file a report of such purchase to the United States department of agriculture under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act to also file the report with the commissioner of agriculture.
10. SB 0529 *Stevens (HB 0911 by *Garrett)
Consumer Protection- With amendment, revises the definition of nonprofit organization as it relates to the Tennessee Information Protection Act to encompass public utilities organized or regulated under the laws of this state, rather than only those organized under the laws of this state.
11. SB 0560 *Jackson (HB 0347 by *Hurt)
Children- As introduced, specifies that the terms abandonment, abuse, severe abuse, and dependent and neglected child do not include the failure to meet the needs of a child solely due to financial hardship unless reasonable material resources such as cash assistance, safe and stable housing, or tangible goods have been offered to and refused by the parent or guardian; makes various other changes regarding adoption, termination of parental rights, and the criminal offenses of child abuse and child neglect. - Amends TCA Title 36; Title 37 and Title 39.
12. SB0622 by Briggs. (*HB0604 by Lamberth.)
Alcoholic Beverage Commission - Amends TCA Title 55 and Title 57. As introduced, requires a person or entity owning a hotel, restaurant, or other establishment that desires to sell wine or other alcoholic beverages for consumption on its premises where food may be served to make application for a permit to do so on forms in triplicate, instead of in duplicate.
13. *SB0623 by Briggs. (HB0857 by Leatherwood.)
Public Records - Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 4, Part 6. As introduced, requires the office of open records counsel to facilitate the convening of meetings of the advisory committee on open government, including selecting a date for the required annual meeting in the absence of co-chairs.
14. *SB0720 by Hatcher. (HB0894 by Todd.)
Boards and Commissions - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 69. As introduced, increases, from two to three, the number of full consecutive terms that an appointive member of the board of ground water management may serve.
15. *SB0763 by Yager. (HB0968 by Hawk.)
Tobacco, Tobacco Products - Amends TCA Title 10, Chapter 7, Part 5; Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 15; Title 47, Chapter 25; Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 10 and Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 26. As introduced, requires the department of revenue to maintain a directory on its website that lists all vapor products certified as authorized to be sold in this state; levies a privilege tax of seven cents per milliliter of consumable material contained in a closed-system vapor product; levies a privilege tax at the rate of 10 percent of the wholesale cost price on an open-system vapor product.
Watch. Highly controversial regulations and tax increase on vapor products. The American Heart Association is opposed because the bill does not directly address youth vaping and only limits competition in the industry. The American Lung Association is also opposed.
16. SB 0881 *Reeves (HB 1244 by *Martin B, Behn)
Insurance, Health, Accident- As introduced, establishes standards for pharmacy benefits managers to use when processing and paying claims; removes limits on aggregate penalties for violations of law made by pharmacy benefits managers; makes other related revisions. - Amends TCA Title 56.
17. SB 0882 *Reeves (HB 1141 by *Boyd)
Health Care- As introduced, adds that the governor's appointee for the health facilities commission who is a representative of the assisted-care living facility industry may be appointed from lists of qualified persons submitted by interested groups, including the Tennessee Center for Assisted Living. - Amends TCA Title 68.
18. *SB0883 by Reeves. (HB1137 by Boyd.)
Sewage - Requires TDEC, or a contract county, to review a permit application for a subsurface sewage disposal system within 10 business days of receipt and either approve, reject with a deficiency report, or request additional information from the applicant.
Forces health regulators, without resources, to review and respond to subsurface sewage permit applications within 10 business days
19. *SB1235 by Rose. (HB1237 by Zachary.)
Boards and Commissions - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 21; Title 9; Title 62; Title 63 and Title 68. As introduced, prohibits the exclusion of persons from membership on state regulatory and health-related boards on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, and national origin; prohibits such boards from establishing or operating under race-based policies pertaining to their composition; creates a private cause of action against a board and its officers, employees, and agents for such practices; removes requirement that appointing authorities strive to ensure certain boards and commissions are represented by members of racial minorities.